The Snowden Affair
Web Resource Documents the Latest Firestorm over the National Security Agency
National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 436
Posted -- September 4, 2013
Edited by Jeffrey T. Richelson
For more information contact:
Jeffrey T. Richelson 202/994-7000 or nsarchiv@gwu.edu
Washington, D.C., September 4, 2013 -- Recent press disclosures about
National Security Agency (NSA) electronic surveillance activities --
relying on documents provided by Edward Snowden -- have sparked one of the
most significant controversies in the history of the U.S. Intelligence
Community. Today, the nongovernmental National Security Archive at The
George Washington University posts a compilation of over 125 documents --
a Web resource -- to provide context and specifics about the episode.
The Snowden leaks have generated broad public debate over issues of
security, privacy, and legality inherent in the NSA's surveillance of
communications by American citizens. Furthermore, news coverage has
explored the story on many levels, from the previously unknown scope of
the NSA's programs, to public and congressional reactions, to Snowden's
personal saga, including his attempts to evade U.S. authorities and avoid
extradition to the United States.
Today's posting covers the full range of these topics, featuring documents
from the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
(ODNI), and the NSA itself, among other sources. The records include:
* White House and ODNI efforts to explain, justify, and defend the programs
* Correspondence between outside critics and executive branch officials
* Fact sheets and white papers distributed (and sometimes later withdrawn)
by the government
* Key laws and court decisions (both Supreme Court and Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Court)
* Documents on the Total Information Awareness (later Terrorist
Information Awareness, or TIA) program, an earlier proposal for massive
data collection
* Manuals on how to exploit the Internet for intelligence
Check out today's posting at the National Security Archive website -
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB436/
Unredacted, the Archive blog - http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/
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THE NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE is an independent non-governmental research
institute and library located at The George Washington University in
Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents
acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A tax-exempt
public charity, the Archive receives no U.S. government funding; its
budget is supported by publication royalties and donations from
foundations and individuals.
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